Protecting trees from injury while plowing



R. ALDEN.

Tree-Protector.

Patented Mar. 7, 1865.

PATENT OFFICE.

RUEL ALDEN, OF EAST TOLEDO, OHIO.

PROTECTING TREES FROM INJURY WHILE PLOWING.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,616, dated March 7, 18,65.

Figure 1 is an end view ot' Iny invention ap.

plied to a whiftletree. view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and useful attachment to be applied to whiflletrees in plowing, in order to prevent the latter abrad- Fig. 2 is a plan or top ing trees-a contingency which always attends the plowing of grounds in orchards, especially young orchards, as the plow approaches the. trees sufficiently near, or should, if the ground be properly plowed, to cause the whiflietrees to come in contact with the trees.

A represents a portion of a whiffletree, and B represents a metal loop, which is secured to the whiffetrees near one end by a bolt, a, on which it is allowed to turn freely, the loop projecting both at the front and rear ofthe whiftletree, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The loop B may be constructed of a single bar, doubled or bent so as to have two parallel sides, b b, of equal length, disconnected at their ends at the rear of the whiftletree, while the front rounded part, c, at the bend in front of the whiflietree receives the hook of the trace. Within this loop B, or vbetween the sides b b thereof, there are placed two rollers, C' O', which may be of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material. The rollers may not be entirely constructed of this substance-an elastic or yielding material placed on a hard roller as a covering will an swer the purpose. The rollers C O' are allowed to turn freely on pins d d, and one roller,G, is at the front side of the whiftletree, and. the other, C', behind it, the sides b b of the loop being slightly curved, so that the rollers C G' will extend beyond thehend of the whittletree. (See Fig. 2.) By this simple device it will be seen that the end of the whiftletree is not allowed to come in contact with a tree, for the forward roller, C, will first strike the tree and then the rear one, G.

The loop B may be made of wrought or malleable cast-iron.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The employment or use ot' india-rubber or other elastic substance, in the form of rollers or otherwise, appied to one or both ends of a whifetree to serve as a cushion or guard to protect, while plowing, trees from the action of the whifetree, substantially as set forth.

RUEL ALDEN.

Witnesses: l

M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. L. TOPLIEE. 

